The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
Elie WieselRead
In my tradition, one must wait until one has learned a lot of Bible and Talmud and the Prophets to handle mysticism. This isn't instant coffee. There is no instant mysticism.
Interpretation
True understanding and mastery of spirituality requires time and study.
Elie Wiesel emphasizes the importance of a deep and thorough understanding of religious texts before delving into the complexities of mysticism. He argues that spiritual insights cannot be rushed or acquired instantaneously, as they demand patience and rigorous learning.
In practice
During a sermon, when discussing the depth of spiritual practices.
The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
With every cell of my being and with every fiber of my memory I oppose the death penalty in all forms. I do not believe any civilized society should be at the service of death. I don't think it's human to become an agent of the angel of death.
Certain things, certain events, seem inexplicable only for a time: up to the moment when the veil is torn aside.
We're alone, but we are capable of communicating to one another both our loneliness and our desire to break through it. You say, 'I'm alone.' Someone answers, 'I'm alone too.' There's a shift in the scale of power. A bridge is thrown between the two abysses.
No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night.
My loyalty to my people, to our people, and to Israel comes first and prevents me from saying anything critical of Israel outside Israel… As a Jew I see my role as a melitz yosher, a defender of Israel: I defend even her mistakes… I must identify with whatever Israel does – even with her errors.
Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water.
It is painful to face the self we know we have never had the integrity to honor and assert.
It is a modern tragedy that despair has so many spokesmen, and hope so few.
The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.
A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough today to last him for the next 6 months, nor can he inhale sufficient air into his lungs with one breath to sustain life for a week to come. We are permitted to draw upon God's store of grace from day to day as we need it.
Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune.
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